In a little more than two months time, we’ll finally have our grubby hands on Bioware’s latest RPG-action epic, Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Set to hit Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on March 21, safe to say that Mass Effect: Andromeda is the most anticipated game of 2017: Bioware has a history of making great games — the Mass Effect series fits firmly in that portfolio — and the original trilogy was a defining aspect of last generation (at least it was for me).

With the game so close to release, it’s now officially been classified in Australia, and its rating should come as no surprise to fans of the series.

The Australian Classification Board has classified Mass Effect Andromeda MA15+.

As with earlier games in the series, you’ll be able to explorer the Andromeda galaxy in the Tempest, which is Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s Normandy equivalent.

Tempest acts essentially in the same way as the Normandy did: as the “bridge” between your adventure and what surrounds you in the galaxy. You’ll use it to reach points of interest, discuss mission objectives, customise your character, and so on.

There are a few subtle differences between the Tempest and Normandy, however. For one, the bridge of the ship will be a “more regular destination”, in that navigation is the primary task undertaken in that area. For a deeper look at the Tempest, check out this piece.

The latest trailer — showcased at last month’s game awards — revealed a few new interesting tidbits about our characters, the core gameplay, and dialogue options. We see a city for the first time, the galaxy map, some in-game combat, and even some of the game’s driving. Check out the trailer below.

Andromeda will also introduce a deep new crafting system. “Almost anything you need you’ll have to find, steal, or craft yourself,” as we’re told in the trailer.

Perhaps the biggest change in Andromeda is the nature of the world, and how our hero will interact with and progress through it. We know that the game’s antagonists will be more organic, and a number of trailers released thus far have hinted at humans being the “aliens”, which suggests a far more hostile universe than the one we experienced in the original Mass Effect series.

We’ve had a brief look at dialogue options in the trailer, which expands what we already know about romance options, which appear set to get a major overhaul. There are also huge changes coming to the Paragon-Renegade system: just how expansive, diverse and predictable that system will be, we’ll have to wait until closer to release to find out.

Gaetano Prestia Editor in Chief

Gaetano loves Doritos and always orders Mountain Dew with his KFC. He's not sorry. He also likes Call Of Duty, but would much rather play Civ. He hates losing at FIFA, and his pet hate is people who recline their seat on short-haul flights.